Would BYU want SDSU in western Big East?

Big East West?

Possible division and member scenarios for newly reconstructed league:

Eastern Division:

UConn

Rutgers

South Florida

Cincinnati

Central Florida

Navy

Western division:

SMU

Houston

Louisville

Air Force/SDSU

Boise State

BYU/SDSU

Note: Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida, UConn and Rutgers are the only five future existing members in Big East football, pending expansion.

To promote itself for membership in the Big 12 Conference, San Diego State officials recently employed a brazen strategy.

They told key people in that league that SDSU is a better potential new member for the Big 12 than Brigham Young University.

San Diego is “as close to Austin (Texas) as Provo, Utah (home of BYU) and a heck of a lot easier to get to,” SDSU Athletic Director Jim Sterk told officials in the Texas-centered Big 12.

Now an e-mail from Aug. 31 has surfaced from SDSU Associate Athletic Director Jenny Bramer to Big 12 member Oklahoma. In it, she writes to Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione:

“Is there anything that Jim or I can be doing to share the message about all San Diego State’s advantages? Or for that matter sharing all the disadvantages of being in the conference with BYU!”

Back then, such a tactic had competitive merit. To get noticed, SDSU wanted it known what it could provide the Big 12 relative to another school the league might want instead. The Big 12 was in the market for a new member after Aug. 31, when Texas A&M sent notice it was leaving the Big 12. Bramer even sent Castiglione the email that same day, according to documents obtained by the Tulsa World.

But now times have changed. SDSU might need BYU’s help in hopes of joining a more lucrative league -- the proposed western football division of the Big East. The Big 12 recently announced it was adding West Virginia of the Big East, setting off more realignment reaction. This time, expansion talk cooled off in the Big 12 but heated up in the Big East.

Last week, Boise State President Bob Kustra said his school was considering joining the Big East but wanted a western partner in a proposed division that could include Air Force, Houston, Southern Methodist and possibly Louisville. On Monday, BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall confirmed that his school has been approached about possibly being that partner.

“There are conversations that are in place for the Big East to convince, or to have BYU join the conference,” Mendenhall said at a news conference Monday.

Meanwhile, Air Force apparently hasn’t decided yet if it will leave the Mountain West for the Big East. If the Falcons decide against it, it’s logical that SDSU would be a serious candidate to replace them in a western division of the Big East – unless any other members have serious objections.

In other words, if BYU wants to join the Big East, the Cougars could have a say on bringing SDSU along with them. Would the Cougars object to SDSU the same way SDSU has spoken against BYU?